Ill Met By Moonlight
by 0TheCluster0
Summary: In the shadows, between the cracks of society, lives a world humanity can only dimly imagine. A world of magic and curses. This is a world that Steven Universe barely knows. Born as a dhampir, between his full blooded vampire mother and his human father, Steven is still trying to figure out his place in the world. (A Faded Blue Halloween spinoff)
1. The Wolf

**Author's Note:** Our answer to werewolves or vampires? Both.

For those new to joining us; welcome to the Faded Blue universe! Or multi-verse, as it is. The main story is a canon-divergence where Greg never went to Beach City, and ended up having a child with Blue Diamond instead. But in honor of the Internet's favorite holiday, we're excited to present you with three chapters of an Occult AU spinoff of Faded Blue, featuring vampire rebels, the tricky politics of Court, and of course a young boy trying to see where he fits into all of it. It _is_ still an SU fic, after all.

As said, we're hoping to make this a yearly occurrence, three chapters a year, with a time skip between every bundle giving us a glimpse into this world. As always, we hope you all enjoy and, as always, you can check out the official Faded Blue blog here.

On one last note- this story was highly inspired by the CrystalWitches' occult-au. While we ended up with some significantly different backstories for characters and different lore in general, if you like this kinda thing, we still seriously encourage you to check it out!

oOoOo

 **Ill Met By Moonlight**  
 **Chapter One: The Wolf**

Growls. The crunch of leaves under foot. A heavy panting. Breath hitching in his throat.

He didn't know where he was going. All the trees looked the same, every bush could be hiding something. Only the thinnest of light filtered through the branches: the light of a full moon.

The werewolf howled.

Steven ran.

This had been stupid. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_. He shouldn't have come- Shouldn't have tried to prove his stupid hunch- He should have listened to Iris- _He should have_ -

He tripped on a root.

Steven went tumbling painfully into the ground, his face digging into the dirt. Steven spat it out, struggling to get back to his feet, but his ankle was sore. He risked a glance behind him- and there it was, a dark mass, rustling through the bushes, getting closer and closer.

He bared his fangs and _hissed_.

Amber eyes glinted in the dark, unafraid and undeterred.

There had to be _something_ he could do! Float, or go invisible, or turn into a bat, or _something_ -

But as always, his powers were seemingly non-existent. There was nothing he could do but stumble backwards into a tree.

The beast emerged from the bushes, advancing towards him, teeth huge and white.

"Stop!" Steven cried desperately.

The werewolf hesitated.

Another shadow swept out of the darkness and barrelled into it.

"Iris!" Steven cried.

The vampire couldn't answer- she was engaged in a battle with the werewolf. Claws and fur against fang and metal, a silver knife glinting in the moonlight. The beast growled and thrashed as it was tossed around- then got its footing and rebounded. Iris winced as it leapt at her chest, but she was not as thin or frail as she looked. She stabbed the knife forward; the werewolf let out a yelp of pain as the silver plunged into its shoulder blade. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, usually sweet, now oddly sour...

Steven covered his eyes. "Stop!" he cried again, " _Stop_!"

The werewolf's growling stopped. Iris took it as an opportunity to kick it away. The beast grunted as it crashed into a bush.

Silver weakened werewolves, Steven knew, but surely it wasn't so strong that a single cut could do that? But then, why else would the creature have stopped-

Steven's eyes went wide.

"A-Amethyst," he stammered, looking at the werewolf. "A-Amethyst, if you- if you can understand me, I- I want you to stop, okay? Stop fighting."

"My Liege," Iris said, risking a glance at him while keeping her knife trained at the wolf, "what are you doing?"

"I think- I think it's listening to me."

It made sense after all, didn't it? People liked Steven, the same way they liked his Mother, but animals _loved_ him. Always had. Steven had lost count of the times he'd become surrounded by dogs or birds when he walked down the street or stray cats had followed him home. Once an entire petting zoo had tried escaping just to get close to him.

Was… that what the werewolf had been doing? Just trying to play?

"Sit up," Steven said, in his most lordly voice, one which wavered only a little.

The werewolf sat up.

"Good dog," said Steven.

The werewolf's tail made a dull thudding sound on the ground.

Steven took a tentative step towards it.

Immediately Iris's free hand gripped his shoulder. "Go no closer. It's dangerous."

"But it- it's listening to me! I think- wait, let's see- Uh, Amethyst, roll over?"

The werewolf regarded him for a moment with those big, amber eyes, and then rolled onto its (her?) back. It winced with pain at the weight put on its injured shoulder.

"Oof," Steven said, "no, you can roll back over- don't hurt yourself-" Obediently, the werewolf listened.

"See?" Steven said to Iris. "Look! She's just like a dog!"

"She is a _werewolf_ ," said Iris. "They are beasts, a threat to us and humans alike."

"But she's not a threat _now_. Not if I can control her!"

Iris's lips drew into a hard line. "You may not always be there to do so, My Liege. What if she gets away from you some full moon? What if she Changed while you slept? She could eat you, and anyone unlucky enough to be nearby." Her grip tightened on the knife. "Better I kill her now. It would be a mercy to the cursed mind inside."

"But- but-" Steven began.

But it just wasn't any cursed mind. It was _Amethyst's_.

Steven had only known her for a few months, but he already liked her. She was a _teenager_ , the first one he'd ever really met, and she wore leather jackets and had her ears pierced and could drive a car. But she was also funny and goofy, and she bought him ice cream and could eat three entire extra-large pizzas _all by herself_.

Liking her was the entire reason he'd gone after her tonight, after all. He'd noticed she was kinda weird… Never talked about her family, or school, and every month or so she'd get 'sick' and disappear for a few days…

He'd been pretty sure that she was a werewolf, and even if she wasn't, he'd been sure she was in some sort of trouble.

Turned out _he_ was the trouble. She was just standing there, all big and fuzzy, and all he could imagine was Iris plunging her knife into her-

With a sudden surge of strength, he rushed forward to put himself between Iris and Amethyst.

"Steven," Iris hissed, " _no-_ -"

But nothing bad happened. Nothing at all. No claws in his back, no jaws around his neck, no last growl before everything went black.

Just a soft, curious whine, and something wet and cold on his hand. Looking down, he found Amethyst nuzzling it.

"Awwww," he crooned. The werewolf's ears twitched.

"My Liege, I promise that it shall be quick and painless-"

"You're not killing her!" Steven snapped.

Iris flinched. "Then what do you intend to with it? Let it just run around the forest?"

"We can take her home," Steven proclaimed. "I don't actually think she has one. It'll be great! She can stay in one of the guest bedrooms, and we'll put her in the cell every full moon…"

"My Lady will never allow it."

"I'll talk with Mom," Steven said, forcing himself to sound more confident than he was. He looked down at the werewolf and rubbed her head; her tongue lolled out. "You'd like that, huh, Amethyst? Wanna come live with me? We can be best, best friends-"

Iris let out a sigh so quiet it was like a breath of wind. Finally, she lowered her knife, although she did not stow it away.

"Very well, My Liege."

Steven grinned at her. "Thanks, Iris. And thanks… For saving me."

"Always."

She smiled back at him, and Steven couldn't resist giving her a quick hug. He was covered in dirt and mud, and it got her pretty cloak all messy, but he knew she wouldn't mind too much.

Soon Amethyst would be back to normal, on two legs and talking again. For now, Steven gave her another scratch behind the ears. "C'mon," he told her, setting off for the car, "Let's get you home and all cleaned up. Iris can help with that nasty old scratch, okay?"

She gave a cheerful yip, and followed happily after him.

* * *

Amethyst awoke with a groan. She opened her eyes, which did basically nothing, because it was still pitch black. Black enough that she would've thought it was still night, except it couldn't be. Case in point: she was thinking of herself as Amethyst.

She ran her tongue over her teeth. Her mostly-dulled, mostly-human teeth, prominent canines aside.

Ugh. It tasted like fur. And were those feathers caught in the back of her mouth?

She could've picked those out, but she just shrugged and swallowed 'em. She'd had worse.

She sat up slowly to reduce the hangover-like nausea and headache she usually received. Not too bad, this time. Maybe the lack of light actually helped. Much, much worse was the pain in her arm, which throbbed so badly that it seemed to send electric sparks all through her body.

And it wasn't as dark as she'd first realized. There was a thin square of pale light- a thick curtain over a window, by the looks of it. Her senses were still sharp enough that her eyes could use it to sketch a shape of the room around her. She was sitting on a carpeted floor, next to an old fashioned trunk and bed. There was a wardrobe, and a bookshelf, and a bedside table...

She made herself get up and thudded over to that. Feeling around, she found a lamp and a little switch. She hesitated a moment, then flicked it.

Yep, she thought, wincing. Light definitely increased the headache.

She stood there for a few moments, rubbing her sore arm while the headache wore off. Then she risked opening her eyes again.

Damn. This place was swanky.

 _Seriously_ swanky. Even more upscale than the places she stayed now, which was saying something. All of the furniture looked hand-carved, mahogany or ebony or some other fancy shit like that. The bed was a queen, and when Amethyst reached out to touch it, she found the sheets so smooth they had to be silk. There was a portrait on the wall that looked like some fancy, minimalist modern art, the kind that would cost a small fortune. The books lining the shelves were tomes- not magical tomes, with sparkly titles and the smell of enchantment so thick you could sneeze, but more like atlases and dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Who even _used_ stuff like that anymore? Didn't they know the Internet existed?

Amethyst could feel the hairs on the back of her arms standing up, and something like a growl in her chest.

Werewolves didn't wake up in posh bedrooms. Werewolves woke up under bushes, covered in burrs and dirt. So what was going on?

She examined her injury, a sharp gash in her shoulder. Shallow, but painful. And _cold_ , the way only an injury by silver could hurt. But while the scratch wasn't bandaged (no point in doing that before she Changed back, since it'd just fall off), it very clearly had been cleaned and tended to.

Looking the rest of her body over, it seemed like the same could be said of all of her. Yep, not a speck of dirt on her. She sniffed her armpit. Smelled like lavender and lemon.

Well. That was _weird_.

Amethyst woulda gone running out of the place that very moment if it wasn't for one thing:

She was butt naked.

Thankfully, whoever had picked her up had laid clothes out on the bed for her, along with bandages. Amethyst woulda preferred her own duds, stashed in a discreet green backpack by her usual tree, but beggars couldn't be choosers. This stuff didn't fit perfectly, but it was a decent estimate. Still, the cloth felt too fine on her skin. Give her a solid pair of jeans, any day.

But they were expensive, for sure. Had to give her mysterious host that.

Amethyst frowned. Maybe she shouldn't jump to conclusions. Whoever they were, they didn't seem to want to hurt her. Maybe they were friends, or at least non-jerks. Or just some random human who'd seen a naked girl passed out by the roadside and decided to be a good Samaritan.

The werewolf put on a smile that was only a titch wider than it had to be and headed for the bedroom door. Whoever they were, it was time to meet them.

She didn't have to go far. She was led by the mouthwatering smell of food to the kitchen at the end off the hallway. Inside was a woman cooking what had to be an entire pig, and a boy sitting at a table, drinking what smelled like milk.

Amethyst gaped at him. "Steven?"

"Amethyst!" he cried, face widening into a relieved smile. "Are you okay?"

"F-fine," Amethyst stumbled, blinking.

"Good. Iris said you would be-" He tilted his head towards the woman at the stove, who was watching Amethyst even as she continued to cook. "- once the sun came up and you turned back, but I was kinda scared that…"

"...I'd stay a big hairy wolf?"

Steven rubbed his neck. "Kinda. Yeah."

"So… I guess you know about that, huh?"

"Yeeeeeaaaah."

"Geez. What gave me away?"

"It was rather obvious," said the woman, Iris, still standing by the stove. She was kinda odd looking. So pale that her skin was practically blue. Her voice was so soft that even Amethyst could barely hear it over the crackling of bacon and sausages (Mmmm. _Sausages_. Gods, she was hungry.). "I recognized the signs as soon as Steven described them to me. Overly hairy, odd scent, mysterious _monthly_ disappearances…"

Amethyst groaned. She'd tried to be _careful_ for this investigation. The others were gonna be so mad at her when they found out.

… that said, this hopefully wouldn't be a huge problem. She'd already known Steven had a magical aura of some sort. Trying to figure out _why_ , exactly, was the reason she'd started hanging around him in the first place. She'd kept her own 'condition' on the downlow cuz a) she'd had no idea how aware of his magic _he'd_ been and b) no idea how he'd react to finding out she was a werewolf.

Clearly, pretty well. Considering he'd brought her into his house and wasn't currently trying to shoot her with silver. He, or his family (?) obviously knew well enough about magic and stuff, so now that the dog ( _heh_ ) was out of the bag, maybe she could just _ask_ him what he was.

"You hungry?" Steven asked. In answer, her stomach growled fiercely; he laughed.

"... you have _no idea_ how much energy you burn up running around a forest all night," Amethyst defended herself.

"Hehe. You'd be surprised," he chuckled.

"Food is ready, My Liege," Iris said. Amethyst raised her eyebrows.

"Sit down and eat," Steven said, waving at Amethyst, and she didn't need to be told twice. She sat.

There was already a place set for her, complete with fancy porcelain and shiny steel cutlery. Iris came around and set out food for both her and Steven. The sausages and bacon, but also hash browns, and eggs, and toast, and grilled mushrooms. Nothing felt as good as a post-transformation meal.

And most blissfully of all, a great big post-transformation cup o' joe.

"How do you like it?" Iris asked in that whisper of a voice.

Amethyst just shrugged. Iris silently added milk and sugar, stirring them in for her.

There was… something kinda weird about her. Not just the vaguely blue tint to her skin- stuff like that was pretty common place for the supernatural. It was something else. The way her thick hair covered her eyes. And some smell that _itched_ , familiar, but too faint under every other scent for Amethyst to pin down. Didn't seem human, though.

Well, whatever it was, Amethyst would have to figure out after food, because right now she had to sit down and eat.

" _Way_ better than a bird," Amethyst mumbled through a mouthful of bacon.

"You've eaten birds?" gasped Steven. "I mean, not chickens, but wild ones?"

"Sure," said Amethyst. "All sorts. It's kinda blurry, but sparrows, pigeons, owls. Once I even had a whole eagle."

His eyes were as big as saucers as he munched on his toast. "Gross. What else have you eaten?"

"Oh, basically everything. Foxes, coyotes, deer, you name it."

"... humans?" said Steven, suddenly nervous.

Amethyst gripped her mug of coffee tightly. "No," she said. "No. Never humans."

From her position at the sink, Iris said, "You have such control?"

"... well, no," Amethyst admitted. Basically no werewolf did, come the full moon. "But I've got friends who look out for me. Make sure I don't do anything I'd regret."

"Well, they weren't doing a good job last night!" exclaimed Steven.

"Whaddya mean?" Amethyst said, cocking an eyebrow at him.

The story came out then, or at least, Steven's dramatic retelling of it, with only the occasional interjection from Iris. He'd gotten curious about whether she really was a werewolf and had gone snooping after her. Nearly gotten torn in half for his trouble, which was basically what anyone woulda got if they'd tried to track a werewolf unprepared. Thankfully, Iris _had_ been prepared and kept him safe, which was nice. Amethyst liked the kid, and would've hated to learn she'd eaten him by mistake.

She _also_ would've hated to have been carved up like turkey dinner, so even more thankfully, Steven had found a way to calm her down.

Even if it was weird- not a lot of ways to keep a werewolf under control. Amethyst knew, since it had _kinda_ been an area of interest since she'd first turned at age eight. But there _were_ people who had that power. Certain animancers, shapechangers, warlocks, wild mages. Steven was probably one of those.

Amethyst was just about to ask about that when Iris interjected with another question of her own. "These friends of yours. Who are they?"

"Uh… well," said Amethyst. She took a huge bite of eggs to buy her some time. "You know, witches and seers and stuff."

"Can't be very good ones, can they?" Steven harrumphed.

Amethyst's first instinct was to go, ' _No way, they're great'_ , but he had a point. Why hadn't Sapphire or Garnet foreseen her almost going big bad wolf on a sweet, cute kid? If they couldn't keep her clear of civvies, then Amethyst was gonna have to go back to Changing in the cellar again.

She _hated_ the cellar.

"I did not ask what your friends are," said Iris. "I asked _who_."

"Yeah, well, none of your business, lady," Amethyst shot back, tearing into a piece of bacon.

The woman didn't even flinch.

Steven reached out and squeezed Amethyst's arm. "C'mon. We're friends, right?"

"Well, yeah," began Amethyst.

"So your friends are our business, right? We just wanna know."

He smiled at her, teeth all white and sharp, and how could she say no to a face like that?

"... Alright," she sighed. "The seers are Sapphire and Garnet. They keep an Eye out for me. And Sapphire's wife, Ruby, she makes me a potion. Helps keep me… you know, more like an actual wolf. Only eating when I'm hungry, going after the easy prey. That kind of thing."

"And that is it? Those are your three friends?" said Iris.

"Oh, no. I've got way more," said Amethyst.

"Who?" asked Steven.

"Well, Rose and Pearl for starters-"

And Iris hissed.

Actually _hissed_.

" _The rebel leaders_?"

A cold bolt of dread shot through Amethyst as she finally recognised the smell. How had she _missed_ it?

Vampire.

The chair clattered to the floor as Amethyst lept back, claws sharpening. She fell into a fighting stance, canines bared at Iris. " _Stay back_ ," she growled, "I know how to deal with you."

The vampire merely kicked up a silver knife from the counter, making it quite clear _she_ knew how to deal with Amethyst.

"What's- what's _going on_?" Steven said, looking as wide-eyed and innocent as Amethyst sure as hell hoped he was.

Because if he was a vamp, he probably wasn't a kid, however cute he might seem: bit when he was like eight and stuck in that body for who-knew-how-many centuries. Two fully-fledged, armed vampires against a teenager with slightly sharper than average teeth and nails.

Whatever. Wouldn't be the first time she'd been jumped. She could take 'em.

"She's affiliated with the defectors," Iris was saying as she advanced. "She must be put down-"

 _Not likely, lady._

Amethyst wasn't gonna fight against silver, not unless she had to. Instead, she turned and fled down the corridor. If she could just make it to a window-

"Wait!" Steven's voice called, and she jerked to a stop.

Bad idea. An icy weight barreled into her from behind, knocking her to the floor.

Amethyst's mind was numb to everything but the fighting, to her lessons; rolling out of the vampire's grip, scratching at her face, kicking her in the gut, dodging the knife, rolling to the side-

And Steven's voice cut through everything:

"Can we all just _calm down?!_ "

Her heartbeat slowed, her muscles went slack.

"Just… nobody move, okay?" said Steven. Amethyst wasn't intending to. The knife was pressed against her neck, burning cold. Moving would ensure death at this point. "Iris, there has to be another way-"

"She is a weapon of the rebellion, My Liege."

"She doesn't _have_ to be. We could- we could teach her-"

"Even if we could, the rebellion can trace us."

"But we're _warded_. Completely blocked from Sight, Mom said…"

The silver knife against Amethyst's neck was almost as sharp as the vampire's voice. " _We_ are. The werewolf is _not_. We cannot let her stay here, and we cannot allow her to return to the rebels alive."

"But- but-" Steven's voice wavered, desperate. "There has to be _something_ we can do…"

The words fell out of Amethyst's mouth without thinking: "There is."

"What do you mean?" Iris demanded, in that soft, whispery voice.

Amethyst hesitated. Ruby's voice echoed in her head, unusually serious: _This stuff is secret, okay? We can't let any of the vampire Courts find out about it, do you understand?_

She clenched her mouth shut. She wouldn't squeal.

Then Steven was there, crouching down by her face, staring her right in the eyes. "Amethyst… If you don't tell, we'll have to kill you." His eyes, the brightest, most piercing blue she'd ever seen, began to water. "If there's anyway to avoid it, you gotta tell us. _Please_."

Amethyst's resolve weakened.

She was willing to die, but she couldn't bear to see this kid sad. She _couldn't_.

"Okay," she said. "Okay… I know a way to block my friends' Sight…"

"This had better not be a trick," Iris said.

"It's not," said Steven.

"It's not," Amethyst repeated, any thought of trickery trickling from her mind.

"Tell us, then," the vampire ordered.

Amethyst had to fight for breath: the vampire had been pressing down on her chest for a while now. "There's- there's a rune. Can't describe it. Need to draw it."

Steven disappeared, then. Amethyst felt a brief flash of panic, not wanting him to leave. But he was back in only a moment, clutching a pencil and notepad. Iris allowed her to have one hand free to use the pencil, probably surmising that there wasn't much way it could be used as a weapon. She never removed the knife from Amethyst's neck, though.

Amethyst was terrible at magic. Too many formulas, too much memorizing, too much detail. Information just went through one ear and out the other, no matter how many of Garnet's classes she sat in on.

But there were some things that had stuck, if only through sheer repetition. The most basic of spells and runes.

 _What's the most efficient method to nullify a spell?_ Sapphire had once asked.

Garnet had raised her hand: _Using a basic blocking spell matrix integrated with the Caster's personal rune._

Amethyst knew both Garnet's and Sapphire's runes. She could draw them for Steven and Iris now. That would be the most foolproof plan.

But… someone could do a lot more with someone's personal rune than just defend against them. Go on the offensive. Cast a compulsion, a curse…

With a shaky hand, Amethyst drew a rune on the paper.

"It's mine," she said. "If you plug it into a blocking spell matrix-"

"- you'll be hidden from Sight. Yes."

"Thanks Amethyst," Steven said, looking at her again with those deep blue eyes. Amethyst felt soft and warm, right on the inside.

"No problem," she mumbled.

"We must act quickly," Iris said. "My Liege, can you ensure the werewolf will behave?"

"Sure. You're gonna be good, Amethyst, right? No attacking or running away?"

Amethyst shook her head. Steven smiled at that, sharp and pointed, and she felt another rush of warmth for having made him happy.

Slowly, the vampire moved the knife away, then eased the weight of of her. Amethyst was acutely aware of Iris's sharp focus, analysing her every move. She was even more acutely aware of Steven's outstretched hand. Amethyst happily grabbed it and let him help her up.

Iris surveyed her for one more moment, then swept around to the kitchen, probably to get the salt and stuff necessary for the spell.

Steven tugged at Amethyst's hand to follow. "Let's get this sorted," he said. "And then we can finish breakfast, and _then_ help get ya settled in. It'll be fun!"

"Yeah," said Amethyst, smiling contentedly back. "It will."

* * *

 _7:46_

Pearl's fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she glanced back between the car's clock and the view through the tinted windows. Aside from her vehicle, the small country road. No movement, except for a flock of birds.

Dawn had been over half an hour ago. Pearl seethed with a mixture of worry and annoyance. Mostly annoyance. Amethyst was probably just taking her own sweet time making her way to the pickup point.

There was a rustling in the bushes.

She still let out a sigh of relief when she saw Garnet's familiar bushy hair poke its way out from behind a tree.

That relief died immediately when she saw Garnet's frown as she rushed towards the car.

Pearl rolled down the window just a crack- enough to speak without letting in any of the morning light. "Where is she?"

"I don't know! I couldn't find her anywhere!"

"Her backpack?" Pearl asked.

"Untouched."

"Did you check by the river? You know she likes roll around in the mud there-"

"I checked the river," Garnet said. "Pearl, I can't find her. And I can't _See_ her either!"

" _What?_ "

The girl looked panicked. "I just- can't. When I try to focus on her, it's just like- mist."

Pearl felt a cold prickle run down her neck.

"Get in the car," she said. Garnet's three eyes opened wide, and she obeyed without hesitation. "Call your Mother- Sapphire. Now."

Pearl stared back out the window, gripping the steering wheel so tight she left indents in the rubber. _Oh Amethyst, what's happened to you?"_


	2. Control

**Chapter Two: Control**

"Are we're _certain_ that's where she went?" Pearl paced around the room, cramped as it was with a table and several chairs around it. She felt her fangs press against her skin as she bit her lower lip.

"It's where she said she would be going, yes," Sapphire answered calmly, still as a statue. In stark contrast was her partner, sitting in the chair next to her, hurriedly flipping through a well-worn book. "We have no reason to believe that she would have gone anywhere else without telling us."

"And besides," Ruby looked up from her book, tightening her headband. "When both Sapphire _and_ Garnet try to See her they… can't." Ruby said the last word as a sigh, her shoulders drooping before her eyes returned to her book. "I guess we could try an amplification ritual… We can get some of Amethyst's hair from a comb or something, right?"

"There would be no point," Sapphire said. "It's not the Sight failing, it's that any scrying attempt is being thwarted."

"So wards," Pearl said.

"Not just any ward…" Ruby muttered under her breath as she continued to vigorously flip through pages of her book. "They would need _Amethyst's_ rune. The one I cooked up for her specifically…"

Sapphire nodded. "Yes. Whoever has captured Amethyst knew, at least to some extent, who she was and has taken proper precautions."

The air seemed to get thinner as she spoke, as the true meaning of her words started to settle over all of them. Someone had captured Amethyst, someone who knew she was a werewolf, and knew that there would be people looking for her. There were only a handful of groups in the entire world who could pull off such a feat, and an even smaller number with the motives to do so. Pearl's mind shunned away from the most obvious possibility, for it was like staring directly into the sun.

But she had to think about it, because it very much seemed like it could be reality.

That Amethyst had been captured by one of the Courts.

And the idea that Amethyst was in their hands now...

"Dammit!"

Ruby snapped her book shut, slamming it and her fist against the table. She rested her face in her hands as her shoulders started to quiver. "I _told_ her… I told her to let me enchant a protection bracelet for her. I could make it tight but flexible, not even the wolf could get it off…" Ruby let out a small cry before sobbing, "She's just a _kid_ for god's sake…"

Sapphire leaned over to her and wrapped an arm around her partner. "It's not your fault, Ruby," she said softly. "Nor is it Amethyst's. The _only_ one to blame is whoever has taken her from us." Still holding Ruby close, Sapphire looked back over at Pearl, her good eye glinting from behind her long bangs. "When is Rose going to return?"

"Assuming her estimates hold up, sometime early tomorrow. Just before sunrise."

"Good." Sapphire looked away, at the table in front of them. "I think… I think we all could use some guidance right now."

Pearl nodded slowly. She certainly couldn't argue with that.

"Why don't the two of you go home?" Pearl asked finally, forcing a small smile. "I'm sure Garnet will have dinner waiting for you."

There was a beat of silence before Ruby replied, "Yeah. That pizza place delivers pretty quickly."

They all laughed. Weakly perhaps, but it still felt good. Reassuring almost.

Ruby and Sapphire rose from their seats, Sapphire making sure to grab the book and hand it back to Ruby, who slipped it into her bag.

As Pearl opened the door for them, she asked almost in a whisper, "Do you want me to post any scouts outside your house tonight?"

Again, there was that very tight, very hot, silence around them until Sapphire answered in an almost equal whisper, "If you can spare anyone, Pearl. We would appreciate that."

"I'll set it up," Pearl said.

In response, Sapphire silently reached over and grabbed Pearl's hand, squeezing it tightly before exiting the room. Ruby did the same, nodding solemnly at Pearl as she followed behind Sapphire.

Pearl watched them walk down the hall (past the shut door that led to Amethyst's room) and out the front door, the midday light stinging Pearl's eyes before it receded back into the general darkness of the rest of the house.

She finally turned back around, collapsing into the nearest chair around the table and sighing to herself.

They didn't deserve this, Ruby, Sapphire, nor their child. Pearl had been against pulling mortals, even magically inclined mortals, into the war against the Courts. Ruby and Sapphire shouldn't be spending their time discussing lost comrades. They should be at home, Ruby using a fire rune to perfectly cook dinner and Sapphire using her Sight to ensure that Garnet won't get rained on walking to the bus stop for school tomorrow.

But that wasn't the life they had chosen. Even before Garnet had been born, Ruby and Sapphire had pledged their services to Rose and the Rebellion. If anything, Garnet's birth had just made them more willing to give their talents to aid the rebels. They truly wished to secure her a safe, free life, and believed fighting was the best way to achieve that.

Aiding _vampires_. Those who no longer wished to live under the Court's cruel and oppressive thumbs.

Pearl bit her lower lip and again she was keenly aware of her two sharp fangs. The permanent mark of what she was—

Porphyric Hemophilia. The Mark of Cain. Creatures of the Night.

Vampire.

Ruby, Sapphire, and Garnet had been drawn into this war. Amethyst too, a werewolf cub with nowhere else to go… They'd wanted to protect her, but for all they knew, she might have just paid the ultimate price…

The urge hit her, as it did from time to time, usually from stress. The desire to go out, to find the nearest lone human and just… _indulge_. Sweetly indulge.

Pearl shook her head, violently, to dislodge those thoughts, even slapping herself a few times. She was better than that, she _had_ been better than that for centuries now.

She gritted her teeth and stared at the floor, focusing only on her breathing as the urge passed, or at least subsided to a more manageable level.

She sighed as she rose from her seat and muttered quietly to herself.

" _Please_ hurry, Rose. We need you. _Now_."

* * *

Blue couldn't help smiling a little as Steven finished his explanation while he grimaced at the ground.

"Steven, _dear_ ," she enunciated, urging for his attention.

Steven straightened his posture and looked up. He seemed nervous, even though the there was no one in the room, other than him, Greg, herself, and Iris standing quietly in the corner, waiting for an order.

Blue had been reflecting just the other day that Steven seemed to be growing so quickly, but now standing before them like this, he seemed a small child again. One who would always come to her and ask to be picked up and held in her arms.

She missed those times. Her heart ached for every day that she was unable to spend with her family.

Blue brushed the hood of her robe aside, letting it fall to her shoulders before smiling easily at Steven. "Where is this… girl now?"

"Iris made her a bed in the back bedroom," Steven answered.

Blue's eyes flicked over to the lithe figure in the corner who nodded and spoke a soft confirmation. "I made sure to ward the room as best I could before contacting the Court."

Blue gave a single, curt nod before looking back at Steven. "And what do you intend to _do_ with this girl, dear?"

"Well… I thought maybe she could stay here?" Steven shrugged before quickly adding, "She doesn't have anywhere else to go. I mean, we can hardly leave her with _rebels_ , can we?, So…"

Blue only nodded silently, but Greg now spoke up from his seat next to her.

"Steven, I don't- I mean, if she's a _werewolf_ —"

"Greg." Blue laid a soft hand on his.

He looked over at her. Despite still being in the middle of the tour and working himself to the bone every night, his eyes still shone brightly. "Blue, I don't think I feel comfortable with this. You've told me how _brutal_ werewolves can be."

A moment passed as Blue simply gazed at him, before she turned back to Steven. "Dear, your father and I need a moment to talk. Leave us, please."

"Oh, okay," Steven quickly nodded. "Come on, Iris. The sun's low enough now. We can wait in the park."

This was most likely just an excuse for him to go play on the swings. When Iris looked over at her Master for direction, Blue nodded, smiling slightly. Iris bowed briefly, before opening the door for her and Steven to exit the apartment.

Another silent moment passed, before Greg spoke again. "Blue, I _really_ don't like this." He glanced down at their entwined hands before looking back at her. "Just taking in a random kid— If she was a human, sure, I'd be fine giving her a place to stay, at least until we could talk to the authorities… but…"

"I know, Greg," Blue said gently. She took a second, bringing to mind the book she had read about good communication with a spouse. "I understand that you are uncertain about letting the girl stay here."

"Yeah, I am," Greg responded. "Putting aside that we know nothing about this girl… what happens during the full moon next month? When she… what, transforms?"

"Precautions would have to be taken, of course," Blue answered. "She'll have to be taken away so she can _change_ away from others."

" _And_ she's a rebel," Greg added. "And after everything you've said about them…"

"Yes," Blue answered, squeezing Greg's hand. "But judging from Steven's story, she was abandoned by them and left to run wild. Something which does not surprise me. A bit of muscle only to be discarded when finished." She paused a moment. "Normally I would agree with you, my love. The idea of a wolf coming near our son… But I think this would be good for Steven."

"In what way?"

Blue gave him a sweet smile, the same Greg was so fond of complementing. "He wants to extend a hand of mercy to some unfortunate soul. Surely that is something we should encourage."

"Well..." Greg still sounded unsure. "It _is_ good that he wants to help people. But... this still seems dangerous."

Blue sighed internally as she straightened her posture to her full height, letting her be almost a head taller than her lover. She didn't want to 'force' the issue. She hated doing that to Greg; he did not deserve such treatment. But this was an important moment for Steven and his development. Even if the mongrel was less than an ideal first subject for his future Court, it would still be an important stepping stone towards greater things.

Besides, Steven's nature was more than powerful enough to subdue a werewolf's.

Blue could not let that opportunity slip away. Greg's good nature would have to be put aside.

"Greg... my eternal love," Blue said softly. "You have said that we can't keep Steven sequestered away in the apartment." She gestured around them. "I believe that this could be his first step into the larger world beyond these walls."

Greg's brow dropped and his lips pursed. "That- yeah. That's true. And I guess it is good that he wants to help that girl."

Blue smiled softly. "It is."

"But…" he said, flexing his hands. 'It's not just that she's a stranger. It's that— I don't know anything about— any of this. Not really. I just want to make sure Steven is safe."

"Then perhaps this is an opportunity for you to learn more," she said.

"That's not the point, Blue!"

Blue sighed. He was right. "My love, do you truly think that I would just leave our son unprotected against _any_ potential threat?" She snorted. "Iris has her uses, but I realize more would be needed if the girl would stay here."

"And you could use magic to do that? To ensure Steven's safety?"

"Of course," Blue responded firmly, taking Greg's hand in both of her's. It felt reassuring to her, his warm skin pressed against her cool palms. "I already have extensive warding around the house. I'll have other, stronger ones put in place. In the meantime, I will stay here personally to ensure his safety. It will give me a chance to get a measure of the werewolf myself. To see what she is truly like."

 _And to see if Steven can maintain a firm hold over her._

Greg nodded slowly, looking at his hand held within Blue's. "Okay," he said finally. A smile actually cracked across his face. "You know, I think I'll call Mel and tell her to put the tour on hold for a few days. So maybe the three of us can spend some time together. As a family."

"A wonderful idea, my love," Blue beamed back at him. She hesitated, before leaning over and embracing Greg, kissing him on his course cheek and holding him close. "I love you, Greg Universe."

"I love you too, Blue," Greg spoke normally, but Blue could still tell that he was a little taken aback but the sudden display of emotion. And it was true, such a display was a luxury for her, one she often found herself unable to have due to Court politics.

But she didn't care. At least for these next few days, as she helped Steven get the mongrel in line and get some semblance of training pushed into her head, Blue was planning to enjoy her time with Steven and Greg. Yellow would balk, no doubt, but Blue didn't care. She merely hugged Greg tighter.

This was personal business.

* * *

Amethyst yawned sleepily as she sat on the floor next to Steven, who stood next to her, resting a gentle hand on top of her head. In front of both them was Steven's mother. She shot Amethyst a sharp look as she yawned, but didn't say anything directly to her. Instead, she continued talking with Steven.

"Now, Steven. One more time."

Steven grimaced in protest. " _Moooom_..."

"Now, Steven."

Steven sighed as he turned towards Amethyst. "Amethyst; lay down."

Amethyst grinned as she fell onto her back, her legs still sticking up in the air. "Like this?"

Steven looked over at his mother, who nodded curtly. "Yes. That'll do."

Amethyst had to admit, she'd been a little nervous with Steven's mother. Turned out Steven was a 'halfling' or 'damphyr', and while Amethyst's memory was a little sketchy on a lot of the details, she did know that meant a proper half-vampire. Human dad, vampire mom.

And vamps outside the rebellion tended to make Amethyst nervous. And yeah, this one did seem a little prickly. And a little bit of a bitch. But Steven kept saying that she was a good mother and stuff. And it wasn't like Amethyst had any real measure of what a _good_ mom was like, so she figured she'd just have to trust Steven on this.

"You'll have responsibilities," Steven's Mom was saying. "Not just to keep her under control in the full moon, but at all times. You must ensure that she is properly clothed, fed and walked—"

Amethyst frowned. She _did_ have a good measure for a mother. Didn't she?

Yeah, her biological mother had basically been a waste, but what about Rose?

She wasn't _technically_ Amethyst's mom, but that didn't stop her from acting like it sometimes. Rose always seemed to be keeping an eye on Amethyst, asking her if anything was ever wrong, helping her with homework (Rose and Pearl were great for history), and even letting Amethyst stay with her and Pearl while she was still in school.

That's what a mom acted like, right? Like how Rose treated her.

Amethyst shook her head as she sat back up. No, that was wrong.

Steven had told her that Rose and the other rebels had left her. Abandoned her in the woods. Just like her birth parents.

That's why she had been found by Steven and Iris. Maybe Rose had seemed nice— caring and protecting her for all those years— but it hadn't been real. Just a ruse. Steven was Amethyst's only _real_ friend.

She was just glad she could see that now.

"And one last thing, before I depart," Steven's mom said. She reached into a fold of her robe and removed some kind of leather loop with a sparkly gemstone on it. "It would be best, I think, if she wore this."

She handed the loop to Steven, who turned it over in his hands. "Is this a… necklace?" He sounded a little uncertain.

"More of a collar," his mom corrected. Amethyst felt something uneasy stir inside of her. "It marks her as a member of your Court, both physically and magically." As she spoke, Amethyst could see brightly colored runes appear along the outer-side of the collar. She noted that one of the runes was the same that she had shown Steven a few days earlier: her name.

"Oh," Steven responded simply. "Is that... Is that really necessarily, Mom?" Steven asked. "A collar seems a little mean..."

Steven's mom bent down next to him. "Oh, sweetheart. It is an unfortunate precaution. Though she may be calm now, if her animal instincts were to get the better of her... Well, if any member of my Court or of Yellow's or White's find her, then they will know who to return her to."

"Oh," Steven said again.

He sounded as uneasy as she felt. Amethyst opened her mouth to say something— but something caught the corner of her eye. She glanced over at his mom. Amethyst then blinked, seeing spots in her eyes as if she had just been staring into a bright light. She rubbed her eyes before looking back at Steven.

"It's alright, dude," she said easily. "I mean, if I get lost I wanna know how to get back to ya."

Steven frowned down at the collar still in his hands. "Okay. If you're okay with it, Amethyst."

"Heck yeah, dude. I'm good."

Steven nodded silently as he unhooked the collar and started to lean over to Amethyst, but he was stopped by his mother putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Dear, let her do it."

Steven hesitated, just looking at Amethyst in silence.

Amethyst blinked again, more spots flooding her vision. Not bothering to rub her eyes this time, she held her hand out to Steven. "It's cool, dude. Here, lemme do it." She took the collar from him and fastened it securely around her neck. Its runes flashed again and Amethyst could feel the magical warmth against her bare skin. She played idly with the purple stone that hung from it. "Hey, this is really pretty. Is it a real amethyst?"

"It certainly is. It seemed fitting," said Steven's mother.

"Awesome!"

The vampire smiled. "You see, my dear, she is perfectly content with her lot."

Amethyst grinned back at Steven, who smiled weakly in return.

Another hand was Steven's shoulders as he was pulled away. "Come, Steven," his mother said. "The sun is setting and I'm going to be off soon. Let me say goodbye to you and your father together."

"Yeah, okay Mom." Steven turned around. "I'll- um, I'll be back in a little bit, Amethyst."

Amethyst waved as both of them exited the room. "No worries. Take your time. I ain't going anywhere."

The door shut behind them and Amethyst was left to herself in the bedroom. She sat, staring the door for a while, wondering vaguely when Steven was going to return. But in almost no time, the door opened and he was back.

Amethyst leapt to her feet. "Heya, Steven!" she greeted.

However, Steven's brow crinkled. "Amethyst? Were you just... sitting in front of the door? Waiting?"

She shrugged. "Yeah? I mean, not like you were gone long."

"I was gone for almost an hour and a half," he responded. "Mom really drew out her goodbye."

Amethyst shrugged again. "Eh, well it didn't feel like it." She walked over to him, grinning broadly. "So, what do we do next?"


	3. Freedom

Greg's family life wasn't like most people's.

Most parents worked nine-to-five jobs. Not the Blue Lady and Mr. Universe. She was a vampire leader, up at night, managing affairs and directing her people. He was a musician, a rockstar, with all sorts of odd hours for recording sessions and shows.

Honestly, Greg thought he had the better deal. Most of his composing and writing could be done at home, so when he wasn't on tour, he could make his own hours, come and go as he wanted. But Blue? Not only did she _literally_ have to stay inside all day, her nights were filled with a practically endless amount of responsibilities.

She'd managed to get home 'early' last night, and they'd spent a couple hours talking and cuddling in bed before Greg had finally conked out. Now upon waking, Greg stretched as carefully as he could, trying not to disturb her. Only 8:37 AM, the bedside clock said. Best to let her rest.

He'd barely gotten a step out of bed when her eyes flickered open. "Greg?"

"Shh. Go back to sleep, starlight."

"Is that an order?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Just a suggestion," Greg said, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

She reciprocated, but once the kiss ended, she said, "Well, if I wasn't awake before, that morning breath certainly did it."

Greg laughed. It was a running joke with the two of them. Blue, of course, never got bad breath. She perpetually smelt of ice and iron.

She never held it against him. In fact, she took it as a chance to share a rare family breakfast with Steven. The boy's eyes lit up when he saw them come into the kitchen together, and he hurried to wrap the two of them in the biggest family hug he could manage.

The kitchen was a bit more of a mess that day than usual, since Iris wasn't around to help out. Greg wasn't entirely sure _where_ she was; outside of Steven's lessons, she tended to keep her own schedule. She was off doing personal or court business, he could only assume.

Greg had never been the most efficient cook, Steven was about as clean as you could expect a twelve-year-old to be, and Amethyst…

Well. She had an interesting definition of 'edible'.

But then, his partner was discreetly drinking out of a blood bag in the corner, so who was he to judge?

Steven joined her for a few sucks, and even though Greg generally got queasy during his family's feeding, he couldn't help but watch out of the corner of his eye. During his turn to drink, the kid wore an expression like he was drinking pure unsweetened lemon juice. Steven started getting ill if he went too long without fresh blood, but that didn't mean he appreciated the taste. He was quick to wash the blood down with a tall glass of orange juice and some blueberry muffins.

When Greg had finished his coffee, he got up to start on the dishes, with Steven and Amethyst jumping up to help.

"Oh, come sit back down, dears," Blue said, beckoning to Steven and Greg. "We so rarely get the chance to talk like this."

"We can talk while we wash, Mom," said Steven.

"Not _properly_. Come. Leave Amethyst to it."

Greg hesitated, dish rag in his hand. But Amethyst just grinned at him, jerking her head back to the table. Greg smiled at her, taking a seat between his son and his partner.

It was a relaxed, lazy morning. Blue talked about some politics in her court, and how she was working on arranging a meeting with some senators. Steven excitedly told them about what he'd been learning in lessons- volcanoes and the Manananggal vampire courts of South East Asia. Greg had some wacky fan stories to share, and after a little pressure, hummed a bit from the latest song he was working on.

It was nice. Or, it was even more than that. Greg would have been quite content to sit in that kitchen with them forever.

As the morning wore on, though, Blue was stifling more and more yawns. Eventually she couldn't hide them; her jaw opened real wide, showing off those beautiful fangs of hers.

Steven giggled. In a sing-song voice he went, " _Someone's sleepy~!_ "

"Yes, I suppose someone is," Blue agreed. "Sadly, you must be deprived of my company as I rest. I assume you two will find a way to entertain yourself without me?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Greg smirked, as Blue got up.

"Can we go to the _beach_?!" Steven asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

Greg's eyebrows went up. "It's _October_ , kiddo."

" _Pleaaasssseee_."

Greg heard Blue's laughter echoing down the hall.

In the end, they went to that beach.

It was over an hour's drive to get there, and once they did, the water was choppy from the stiff ocean breeze. Just _looking_ at the water made Greg shiver. But neither Steven or Amethyst had any such hesitation. They dove straight into the water, shrieking with excitement. Greg wasn't sure if their resistance could be chalked up to their magical natures, or just being kids.

Either way, Greg was more than happy to sit on a towel, paperback in his lap, half-listening to them play.

He had to admit- as reluctant as he'd been to let Amethyst in, he was glad they had. She was friendly, and certainly pulled her own weight around the house. More importantly, Steven seemed to have really cottoned on to her. He sometimes worried about him, stuck in the apartment, being home schooled. It was nice to see him with someone closer to his own age.

Greg did have to admit he had spent the past two full moons barely sleeping, a silver knife by the side of his bed. But there really hadn't been any reason to be frightened. They'd kept Amethyst in the cellar, Steven with her the whole time, and she'd been as docile as a sleepy puppy. It wouldn't be right to hold her condition against her.

And while Blue had been the one who persuaded Greg into letting Amethyst stay, she always seemed to wrinkle her nose at every little thing the girl did. Blue had always been a stickler for orderliness, and Amethyst was anything but orderly- what with all the messes she made and the coarse language she tended to use when she thought Steven was out of earshot. But that was okay. Despite all those minor annoyances, Blue still gave the girl a home when she needed it. And that was one of the many reasons why he loved Blue so much.

"Fetch!" Steven cried.

Greg looked up just in time to catch Amethyst jumping out of the water, and catching a tennis ball in her mouth.

He chuckled to himself. Yep. His family was pretty weird, alright. But that was okay. He liked a little weird.

* * *

Life had gotten a lot more interesting for Steven since Amethyst had had started living with him.

It used to be really hard to go out during the day when Dad wasn't around. Mom was super aware of all the dangerous monsters and enemies out there who might want to use a dhampir, so he wasn't supposed to go _anywhere_ without company. Since Mom and Iris couldn't go into sunlight without wearing their heavy robes and hoods, that meant Steven used to get stuck inside with them, which was _soooooo_ boring.

Mom hadn't been completely onboard with Amethyst getting to look after him at first, but after pleading and pleading, she'd changed her mind. Amethyst had promised to do everything she could to keep Steven safe, no matter what.

Privately, Steven thought it would be pretty cool to see her go all werewolf claws or something on an assassin. He'd never say that to Mom though. She'd probably freak out and get overprotective. _Again_.

The chances of something like that actually happening were ridiculously low, though. So in practice, Amethyst wasn't really his bodyguard. She was just his cool teen friend that could take him to the mall, or the movies, or the park and then give him a piggy back ride.

"Or _doggy_ back rides," said Amethyst, after she'd run from one end of a baseball field to the other with him on his back.

"Yeah!" Steven agreed, giggling, as he rolled on the grass. "Hey, this full moon, do you think I could ride on your back?"

"Sure! You could try! I think it'll work."

Steven nodded. The more time she spent around him, the calmer and calmer she got in her wolf shape.

They hung out (or 'chilled', as Amethyst called it) in the park for about an hour- tossing a ball around, Amethyst pushing him on the swings, the two chasing each other through the playground. By the end of it, Steven was getting seriously tuckered out. The two of them settled at a picnic table, getting out the snacks they'd packed before. Delicious green apples, celery with peanut butter, peanuts, chips… Wasn't surprising that a couple of squirrels wandered over to get food.

Steven gave some to them happily, tossing peanuts their way as he munched on his own food.

"Hey," Steven said, pausing, holding a peanut in his hands. The two squirrels stared at him with big black eyes. "Let's see if you can- JUMP!"

He threw the peanut up high, and both squirrels jumped after it. Steven chuckled.

He could get the squirrels to jump ever higher after the food, but soon grew bored of that, and became more ambitious. He encouraged the squirrels to try other tricks; spinning in the air, playing dead, shaking his hand…

… but it didn't work.

The squirrels were clearly paying attention. He could _feel_ their eyes, intent and alert, ears straining to hear him. They just… weren't listening to him.

"Nah, they're listening," Amethyst said. "They're just _squirrels_. They just can't understand you."

"You think?" said Steven, glumly tossing the squirrels a couple more peanuts.

"Oh yeah." Amethyst tossed a fistfull of chips into her mouth and chewed loudly. "I mean, if they could understand ya, I'm sure they'd do everything you asked."

Steven began to nod- he already knew animals liked him- but something in that phrasing made him pause. "What do you mean?"

Amethyst shrugged. "I dunno. It's just, why _wouldn't_ someone listen to ya? You're super smart and awesome."

"Thanks," said Steven, blushing a little at the praise. "You're awesome too."

"I know," said Amethyst, puffing out her chest. "Not as awesome as you though."

Steven frowned. Amethyst didn't seem to notice, and just continued munching on her snacks.

All of a sudden, Steven didn't feel very hungry.

"Hey, Amethyst," he said at length. "Did you mean it before? When you said you'd do _anything_ I ask?"

The werewolf's expression was unusually serious when she turned to him and said, without hesitation, "Yes."

Strange prickles ran down Steven's arms.

"Okay. Then… can you… tell me about the rebellion? What it was like living with them?"

Amethyst tilted her head, and shrugged. "Sure. Dunno why you'd want to know, though. They all sucked, like ya said."

"Yeah, but I wanna hear it from _you_." When Amethyst seemed to hesitate, he clasped his hands together and said, "Please, Amethyst. You promised."

Amethyst sighed. "Yeah, okay. I mean, I guess the rebellion is pretty big and stuff, but they didn't really tell me a lot about numbers or who lives where or stuff. Mostly I just lived with Rose and Pearl."

"The leaders," said Steven. He clenched his fists, remembering the terrifying stories of how they had killed Mom's sister in cold blood.

"Yeah. They were always going off for secret meetings and stuff. But when they weren't busy, they'd hang out with me. Or, well, Rose would. Pearl was always on my case about stuff. Getting me to clean my room, or go to combat practice, or finish classwork." Amethyst rolled her eyes. " _Super_ annoying. But she'd cook me food and stuff, even though she didn't like eating and thought it was disgusting. Which is good, because to be honest," Amethyst smirked, "Rose is kind of an awful cook."

"They were making you learn _combat_?" Steven asked, recalling Mom's comments about how Amethyst was one of the rebellion's weapons.

"Well… they didn't _make_ me, I guess. I asked them to teach me." Amethyst paused. "Okay, I begged 'em, if I'm being _completely_ honest. But man, those classes are so _boring_. All those stretches and warmups and tactics, you know? Plus, Pearl was always going on about 'the art of the blade', and who even uses a sword these days?"

And so Amethyst went on and on. For all her initial reluctance, once she'd gotten going, she just talked and talked and talked. About… all sorts of stuff. Things Steven never would've thought about the rebels. About how the terrifying Rose Quartz kept a greenhouse full of plants, and how her second-in-command Pearl liked to dance ballet and fix cars, and how the witches Ruby and Sapphire would make cookies with smiley faces on them for their daughter and Amethyst.

"And sometimes… sometimes Sapphire would…" Amethyst trailed off.

Steven waited a few moments to see if she'd finish the sentence, and when she didn't, he asked, "Amethyst?"

There was a sniffling noise.

Steven peered at her. Amethyst was crying. Steven hadn't even known teenagers _could_ cry.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amethyst said, voice hitching a little.

"It sounds like… you miss them."

"Well, I don't." Amethyst wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "They're crap. They abandoned me. I _shouldn't_ care about them, and I don't."

Steven stared at her, a knot tightening in his chest.

"Let's… just clean up, okay?" he suggested.

"Okay!" She grinned broadly, all traces of sadness vanishing in an instant. She hurried to pick up all their litter and toss it in a nearby trashcan. Steven went to try and help her, only to nearly trip over two fuzzy shapes at his feet.

It was the squirrels. They'd been sitting there the entire time. Watching him. Waiting for him to tell them something.

He'd completely forgotten they were there.

"Off you go," Steven said, waving his hand. They shook their heads and ran off.

"What next, boss?" Amethyst said, appearing at his shoulder. Steven nearly jumped.

"Uh- home," he said, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. "I need… to think about some things."

* * *

Iris could always tell when Steven wanted to say something.

It was something in the way he held himself, how he started breathing more quietly. If it weren't for the soft sounds of him shifting from foot to foot, he would've seemed completely still and silent. Whatever it was he wanted to say, he'd been hemming and hawing about it for nearly ten minutes at this point, so Iris decided to give her charge a little push. "Is there something I can help you with, My Liege?"

"Uh, yeah…" The scuffing of feet against the floor. The next words are so quiet that any being with lesser hearing would miss them. "Iris… Do you think I might be… Controlling Amethyst?"

Behind her bangs, Iris's eyebrows rose a fraction. "Of course, My Liege. In fact, I am quite certain of it." She reached out and placed a hand on his head. "But surely you knew this already?"

"Well… yeah… at the full moon. But I didn't think… all the time."

"Her animal instinct is with her all the time, not just during the full moon."

"Oh."

Steven went very, very quiet, aside from the sound of his heart, beating staccato in his chest.

Iris had thought Steven had known all of this already. Surely the Blue Lady had guided him.

But if she had not, then perhaps it wasn't Iris's place to reveal such a thing to Steven. However… she felt, privately, Steven deserved to understand the extent of his own abilities.

"Your mind is strong, Steven. Stronger than the minds of animals and lesser creatures around you. They will bend to you. It is the nature of all vampires."

"But…" There was a stretch of long silence. Iris waited for Steven to fill it. "But… if I'm telling Amethyst what to do… what if she doesn't want to be here?"

Ah. Of course. It was becoming clear to Iris.

"That is irrelevant, My Liege. We all have our roles to play. The werewolf's role is to serve you."

"... Oh."

Steven had been raised, by and large, away from the Courts. Away from their intrigue, their politics, their brutality. It had fostered in him a sweetness, a kindness. A gentleness that Iris had not seen since her distant days as a human, so so long ago.

Any 'decent' member of the Courts would call such a temperament unbecoming, but Iris loved that gentleness in Steven. She wanted to do all she could to protect it.

But as Steven went away without another word, she wondered how much longer she could.

* * *

" _Please_ , Amethyst," Steven begged. "I want you to really focus."

"I _am_ focusing."

"Okay! Okay." Steven let out a harsh puff of air, and it stung Amethyst to see him so agitated. "Just… Are you _absolutely sure_ you're here because you want to be?"

She cocked her head curiously. "Uh, yeah. _Duh_."

He shook his head. "I mean, are you sure you don't just want to be here because _I_ want you to be here?"

"Well… yeah," said Amethyst. "This is your house. I wouldn't be staying with you if you didn't let me."

"No… no… That's not-"

He was shaking now, looking borderline panicked, so Amethyst reached forward to give him a comforting hug.

This didn't seem to be the right thing to do. He flinched out of the embrace. Amethyst recoiled, not sure what she'd done wrong. "Dude, Steven... What's this… what's this all about?"

He was pulling on the string of his hoodie. "It's just… I've been thinking. Animals- they like me and listen to me. And you said that they'd obey me, if only they knew what I was saying. But… Amethyst- _you're_ a werewolf. An animal. I can control you when you're in wolf shape. What if I'm just controlling you now?"

"Geez, man. You are _way_ overthinking this."

"But-"

"No buts. 'Sides, I may be an animal, but then, isn't like, everybody? Humans are just monkeys or whatever."

Steven blanched, and Amethyst realized this might not have been the best thing to say.

She flung up her hands. "Look, what I mean is just… You're _fun_ , Steven. Being with you is just… chill. You don't have to worry about this."

He bit his lip. With his little baby fangs, it was almost criminally adorable.

"Amethyst… you know a lot about vampires, right? Since you lived with them?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't say a _lot,_ but yeah."

"So just… Tell me. Completely honestly. Is it possible that I'm controlling you?"

Amethyst's first instinct was to reject the idea outright, but his blue eyes were big and pleading, so she leaned against the wall and really thought about it.

So. One: some vamps could control humans. Mostly on a pretty subtle, mild level, while a small number were more powerful. Those guys were higher ranking in the Courts, generally, least according to Rose. It was how they avoided being discovered, helped to ensure a stable supply of 'food'.

Two: some vampires could control animals. Amethyst was pretty sure she remembered Pearl lecturing about that. Wasn't considered very useful. Vampires didn't really like the taste of animal blood that much, apparently.

Three: And when it came to werewolves, vampires could….

Well. Amethyst didn't actually know. Vamps didn't like werewolves, as a rule. Part of it was just the whole 'opposites' things. Vampires- so fancy, restrained, elegant. Of course they hated any species whose whole thing was being hairy and messy.

But it went beyond that, though. The Vampire Courts had a vested interest in keeping the magical world a secret. "The Masquerade" they called it, wanting to be all fancy and important sounding. It was easier to control things that way, get food without people noticing, feeding off the homeless, the poor, the infirm. They were strict about who fed when and where, to make sure no one blew their cover. But werewolves couldn't _be_ strict. Come the full moon, they all Changed, whether they liked it or not. So most Courts would kill a werewolf on sight, just to be safe.

(But Steven and Iris and his mom had protected her, because they were good. Obviously.)

She gave a little headshake. Besides the point.

The point was, if vamps could control werewolves, they wouldn't just kill 'em off. They'd be using them.

But… every vampire was different. And besides, Steven wasn't a normal vampire. He was a halfling. Maybe the rules were different for him.

"I… don't know," Amethyst answered slowly. "I guess… I mean, I guess it's _possible_."

Steven's eyes widened in alarm.

Amethyst, for her part, felt totally calm. Maybe it was possible, but the friendship and connection she had with Steven felt so genuine. No way that was forced.

But even if it was…. Would she mind? Amethyst was pretty sure she wouldn't, and some part of her recognised that was kinda weird.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," chanted Steven, pacing in a circle. "This- there's gotta be some way to figure this out-"

"Maybe there is," said Amethyst.

"What- what do you mean?"

"I dunno. I guess… like… some sort of test or something?"

"A test! You're a genius!"

Amethyst puffed out her chest and grinned. "Sure am."

Steven said he just needed to come up with a plan. Amethyst was sure he could, since he was so clever. It only took him a couple minutes of pacing.

He took off her collar. Amethyst let him, even if it left her feeling weirdly naked and exposed.

"I need to give you some alone time. My family's going out for dinner in about an hour, and Iris has Court business. You'll have the entire apartment to yourself."

Amethyst nodded eagerly. "And… what do you want me to do?"

"Well, whatever you want to do."

She blinked. "Uh… okay."

Steven nodded. Got up to leave. Hung near the door for a few moments, looking at her, face worried.

"Hey man," she said. "It's gonna be fine."

"R-right. Okay. Bye."

He left.

Amethyst stared at the closed door for a few moments, then got up, and stared around the bedroom. Whatever she wanted, huh?

Over the past couple of months, her room had filled with all kinds of entertainment, though she didn't have much time for any of it- usually she was either hanging out with Steven somewhere else, or out cold.

Now she finally took the chance to enjoy all the cool stuff she has. She sprawled out on the bed and watched TubeTube videos, half-listening to the people moving out around outside. Somehow a list of the _Top Ten Worst Ice Cream Flavors Ever Invented_ just didn't seem enough to keep her attention.

She found a few flash games online, tower defense and color matching things, the stuff that Pearl rolled her eyes at and called time wasters.

Ugh. Pearl.

Amethyst rolled off the bed and stomped over to the bookshelf. All the boring books were still there, but Steven had grabbed her some more fun ones. She grabbed one at random, flipping through it idly. Some geeky adventure novel thing, about a kid hero with an enchanted shield. Why not?

She started on the first chapter just as Steven and the rest of his family headed out. It was fun. Cool mystery, interesting characters, some neat fight scenes.

But after about forty minutes, she found she really didn't want to continue.

She dropped the book down on the desk, not bothering to mark her place. She stood up, stretched. Looked around for something else fun to do, and found nothing.

Maybe she could go into the living room and watch TV?

Nah. That didn't seem interesting either.

She was restless. Only to be expected, with the full moon just a few days away.

Wandering over to the window, she pulled back the blinds and stared up. The moon was hidden by a thick cover of clouds, but she could still _feel_ it there.

This would be her third month there with Steven.

Amethyst gripped the windowsill. She didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to think of what had been before. Didn't matter, anyway.

She shook her head, like she was trying to get water out of her ears.

Hungry. She was hungry. She went to raid the kitchen.

Some leftover pasta, an apple and two cookies went a long way to settling her, but it still didn't do much. In fact, she thought she might have over ate. Which was ridiculous, she'd never over ate in her entire life, but she felt weird. Kinda nauseous.

She drank some water, didn't do much. Maybe a walk would help?

Just thinking it perked her up. Yeah, a walk. Something active, physical.

She hesitated a little at the door, realizing she didn't actually have any keys to lock it behind her. Eventually she shrugged. Place probably had tons of protective spells on it.

She set off.

There weren't a lot of people out. It was a dark, cool night, and even though it wasn't actively raining, it sure was threatening to. Amethyst didn't mind. She set down the street at a brisk jog, stomping heavier in the puddles than she had to, relishing the feel of cold water splashing her nice trousers. The darkness held no danger to her; she could see into the shadows, and take anything they might throw at her. She gained speed as she rushed down the sidewalks. Wind tousled her hair, carrying exotic, interesting smells. A feast of them, one she could only dine on this close to Changing. Gasoline, fast food, rotting leaves, cooking dinners, cats, garbage-

\- vampire.

She stopped dead as the smell slammed into her.

It wasn't just that it was a vampire. It was that she recognised the individual smell, faint as it was, nearly drowned out by everything out. Cool and crisp, floral too, like lilies and green tea.

There was another smell, less noticeable at first for being so human. But it wasn't just a random human's. It was familiar, painfully so: hot, like charcoal and cinnamon….

She should leave. They'd left her behind.

But Amethyst found herself moving towards the smells regardless.

She crept through the shadows, telling herself what a terrible idea it was, but unable to stop. She'd nearly _ate_ Steven cuz of them. They'd stopped watching her, abandoned her, left her alone in the forest and never picked her up-

\- but… wait, hadn't Amethyst left the forest first?

She paused behind a trash can. There was the very car they'd been meant to pick her up in. A totally plain, ordinary looking SUV with dark tinted windows.

Its door flung open, the smell of cinnamon spilling out into the streets. "Amethyst?" Ruby called, holding something purple and glowing in her hands. "Amethyst! Please! Are you out here?!"

Another voice came from the car's. Pearl's. "Do you see her?"

"No, but the spell's activated… She has to… AMETHYST!"

Another door opened, and out stepped a second figure, sharp and lithe. A cool, crisp smell, chilled with worry and anxiety.

Amethyst's nails dug into her skin. It was a trick. It had to be.

Then they turned to face her, and in the light of the street lamps, Amethyst saw Ruby and Pearl's expression. Pleading, fearful, desperate.

Something inside her broke, and Amethyst stepped out from behind the trash can.

"G-guys?" Amethyst said, voice catching.

Their eyebrows flew up. They stared at her in a moment of muted shock. And then, in chorus they cried, "Amethyst!"

Ruby opened her arms for a hug, and automatically, Amethyst flung herself toward her. In moments she felt the woman wrapped around her, familiar and warm.

"Where have you been?" Pearl admonished. "We've been looking everywhere for you- Do you have any idea how worried-I can't believe you'd do something so irresponsible!"

But then she was hugging Amethyst too, her skin too-cold and too-hard, but comforting all the same. Amethyst squeezed back, burying her head into Pearl's chest, holding back a sudden and unexpected burn of tears.

This was what she wanted to do. She wanted to be with her _family_.

* * *

Iris was preparing Steven's breakfast of blueberry pancakes when she heard the sound of the apartment's front door opening.

She was instantly on alert. Her Lady and Greg had intended to wait out the day in the Court, and would not be home for hours. The only two other people with keys were Steven and Amethyst, who should have been both sleeping soundly in their rooms-

"Amethyst?" came Steven's voice. "Amethyst, is that you?"

He was whispering, a whole room and a corridor away, but Iris could still hear him. There was very little she could not.

"Yeah. It's me." The jangle of keys being shoved into a pocket.

"When I didn't find you in your bedroom, I thought… I was afraid that…"

"I went for a walk," said Amethyst. "Trust me, dude. I am exactly where I want to be."

A creak of floorboards, a small gasp, the rustle of fabric against fabric. The two of them were hugging.

Iris continued to wash the berries. It seemed that Amethyst had been out during the night, which was strange, and potentially worrying. The Lady would have to be informed. For now, nothing seemed to be immediately concerning. The boy and his werewolf came into the kitchen, and dug happily into breakfast.

When less than ten minutes later, the front door opened again, Iris heard it instantly.

Four sets of footsteps, moving quickly, right towards them. The smell of sulphur and mandrake roots filled her nostrils. And the unmistakable smell of cold iron.

A _vampire._

"Steven!" she cried, reaching for the knife she always kept at her belt. "We must run-"

"That ain't gonna happen, Bangs," Amethyst growled.

Steven's voice was suddenly small and scared. "Ame? What are you-? Let go of me!"

Iris did not hesitate. She flexed the muscle in her wrist and felt the concealed knife slide from her forearm and fall into her hand.

She lunged at the werewolf, but a hand caught her by the wrist, ice cold.

"Don't you _dare_." The voice was nothing but a deadly hiss, but Iris knew it well; Pearl. One of the leaders of the rebellion.

"You will not have him!" Iris yelled. She found her balance and tried to kick her attacker, but Iris felt the wind of the rebel vampire's dodge brush against her cheek. Before she could regain herself, Iris felt her arm twist and contort, causing her to scream in pain.

Iris's senses were being overwhelmed. Partly by the growing smell of sulphur, but also by the pain that was shooting from her arm.

It was chaos.

Chaos, and terror, and uncertainty. Iris had never been a fighter. Not in her life as a human, nor her life beyond. The advantages of a vampire were hers; strength, agility, speed- but her opponent had these advantages as well. The rebel was trained, she was an expert, and Iris didn't even know who exactly Pearl had brought along.

Iris paused, just for a moment, and listened as best she could. And in that instant, she heard the barest whisper of her opponent shifting the weight on her feet. Know now where to strike, Iris kicked at the rebel's heels. Her grip loosened on Iris's arm and she exploited that moment, pulling her arm free and leaping back.

But before she could begin another attack, Iris began to feel the telltale hum of magic against her person. The rebel had brought magic users.

"Amethyst, we need that collar," a rebel Iris hadn't heard before. One of the spellcasters..

"Where'd ya put it, Steven?" Amethyst demanded.

"In- In my room- Amethyst, please, stop-"

But she wouldn't, and Iris knew it.

Iris leapt at the rebel vampire, jabbing and stabbing, trying to land a single blow. Her only hope now was to get her charge safely back to Her Lady's Court. A goal she would need to be quick in. She could hear Steven struggling against his attackers. He was so small, so weak for a vampire, and he was wholly unprepared. His heart was thundering with desperate terror-

\- and then it began to slow. _Ba dump, ba dump, ba dump_ …

"He's out!" one of the humans cried.

Iris felt a surge of fury and fear, and with a final slash managed to graze Pearl with her knife. The cut was clean, as was the yelp of surprise from the rebel, but the retaliatory punch Iris took across the jaw sent her falling backwards.

"Take him!" another human barked, and Iris could hear Steven being dragged across the floor. She had to- _had to get to him_ -

But she couldn't. She couldn't. Her opponents were too strong, too powerful. Everywhere she tried to run, they were one step ahead of her, blocking her.

She could still hear shouting. Barked orders to search the building, find any useful documents, any incriminating evidence, anything, anything at all, which could be used against the Blue Lady and Her Court-

"I've gotten as much as I can!"

"Then we retreat!"

"We have two minutes until my flame spell activates. _Two minutes_."

Pearl's fist slammed against Iris's temple, leaving her on her knees. A cold breeze brushed against the back of Iris's neck as she felt the renegade lean next to her ear and whisper, " _Run_."

When Iris regained her bearings, only moments later, the rebels had fled. She charged after them, out of the house and down the corridor. She couldn't smell them- their scents were being blocked- but she could hear _him_. Heard Steven's heartbeat, slow and steady, sleeping- She was barely corporeal now, more air than flesh, a mist rolling down the staircase- She had to get them back before-

She reached the foyer, and the sunlight hit her.

If Iris had had a mouth, she would have screamed.

But she didn't. She just rushed forward. She could still- still save him-

The sunlight burned, burned, burned, and Iris fell to the floor. Her skin materialized, already charring.

She couldn't move forward. It was all she could manage to crawl out of the direct sunlight, to tuck herself under the blessed shade of a table.

"Steven-" she whispered.

There was a smell like cinnamon and charcoal, and above, a rush of heat as the Universe's apartment was engulfed in flames.

* * *

Waking up felt like crawling out of a thick, suffocating mud. Every time Steven got close to the surface, he was pulled back into the blackness.

Finally, though, Steven fought through. He didn't open his eyes immediately, if only because the thought of it was so exhausting. He just lay there. Breathing.

He was calm, relaxed. The bed beneath him was soft.

But the air was cold. He wondered why he didn't have a blanket; had it fallen off in the night? He tried to grasp around for it, but his arms were much too heavy to move. Not because of the now rapidly-withdrawing sleep, but because there was something on them. Something heavy… metallic… _Handcuffs_.

His breath hitched.

There were many strange voices, low and murmuring. He struggled to understand them.

"How long will we have to wait?"

"It'll take a few minutes for the spell to wear off…"

"But soon."

"There's still time, Amethyst. You don't need to be here."

 _Amethyst._

"No. No, I wanna. I'm the reason he's here."

Summoning all of his strength, Steven sat up and opened his eyes.

Amethyst met them, her expression stubborn and fierce and angry.

The memories of the raid on his home slammed in Steven all at once, and the realization of Amethyst's betrayal cut him deep.

But was it really betrayal, if she'd never chosen to be his friend in the first place?

Amethyst wasn't alone. The other attackers were there with her, the two humans and the vampire. And standing next to Amethyst, hand resting on her shoulder, was a second vampire. She was huge, and pink, from the frills of her dress, the curls of her hair, and the piercing shine of her eyes.

"Hello, young dhampir," said rebel leader, Rose. "We need to talk."

* * *

The night air was thick with the smell of ash. Two parents stood outside the remains of what had been their apartment.

Blue was crying. Thick, furious tears, punctuated only by cries for revenge.

Greg didn't have the energy. He just stood there, numb and hollow. He'd always been told magic stuff was dangerous, but until now, none of it had seemed real…

"Oh Steven," he said, "where are you?"

* * *

 **AN: Happy Halloween, dear readers!**

 **But unfortunately, that's all we have planned for this particular AU this year. We'll see you here next October, when we'll continue the supernatural adventures of vampires, werewolves, and Steven Universe.**


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